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text-decoration:none; } img {border:none;} The Sport Review: “Roger
Federer shines as big guns march into round two” plus 5 more- Roger Federer shines as big guns march into round two - Rangers and Bursaspor close to finalising Kenny Miller deal - Video: Watch Roberto Carlos score straight from a corner - I haven’t joined Aston Villa for the money, insists Darren Bent - Australian Open 2011: Andy Murray pleased with progress - West Ham insist Avram Grant is the right man for the job Roger Federer shines as big guns march into round two Posted: 18 Jan 2011 03:54 PM PST If there was any doubt about which men dominated the Australian Open draw before the tournament got under way, there was a handy reminder in the first round. Because the bleary-eyed admirers of the best half dozen men—all of them European—were able to enjoy a clutch of dominating performances during the opening two days Down Under. In the top section—the Nadal-Soderling-Murray stranglehold—the crowds had barely applied the sunscreen before Rafael Nadal had forced Marcos Daniel into retirement 6-0 5-0 with a knee injury, and Andy Murray had eliminated Karol Beck 6-3 6-1 4-2 – a shoulder problem for this victim. Before the fans had stretched their legs and refreshed the tinnies, Robin Soderling had beaten Potito Starace into submission, 6-4 6-2 6-2. Even Marin Cilic—who hasn't won more than one match in a tournament since the first week of August 2010 and went out in the first round of Chennai a fortnight ago—had buttoned up Donald Young, 6-3 6-2 6-1. And if there were any worries about the shape of Juan Martín del Potro after he fell in the second round in Sydney, they were also put to bed by an easy win over Dudi Sela, 7-6 6-4 6-4. The only minor tremor to disturb the composure of the Melbourne spectators came from the early exit of Ernests Gulbis—so often threatening to break the top ranks with his multitudinous talents yet so often falling to unexpected opponents. A rather bigger tremor came from a match that reverberated around the grounds well into the early hours of the morning on the second day of this particular Major but, in this case, it surprised no-one. The match between Lleyton Hewitt and David Nalbandian had jumped off the page from the moment the draw was made. It involved a rematch between the pair of 29-year-olds who had played one of the most memorable matches ever seen in Melbourne in the quarter-finals of 2005. That one went to five sets—10-8 in the fifth—before Hewitt lost to Marat Safin in the final. The 2011 rerun also went to five sets and was nip and tuck from start to finish. They alternated sets, had break points aplenty and the Argentine led by a break in the fifth before Hewitt broke back to level at 5-5. But in the 16th game, Nalbandian wove a certain kind of magic as the clock ticked past 1am and sealed the match with the sweetest of cross-court lobs, 3-6 6-4 3-6 7-6 9-7. The Argentine's loss to David Ferrer in Auckland suggested a lack of stamina, but this must have dispelled those doubts. The barrel-chested, intense-eyed, twinkle-toed Nalbandian returns to delight another day, and clearly relished the fight ahead. "I can't talk, I'm too tired!” he said. “But I have a day off tomorrow—or [smiling] today. I am going to do all the things necessary to try to recover, to be ready." If the top men in the top half of the draw looked resilient, the bottom half looked positively bullish. Novak Djokovic played the wolf against the useful Marcel Granollers: it was like taking a lamb to the slaughter, 6-1 6-3 6-1. The match also confirmed, in a mature combination of elegance, power and focus, that the Serb must be considered one of the favourites for the title. Tomas Berdych, a man new to the top 10 but whose outstanding early 2010 season fizzled out in the autumn and winter, burst back on the Melbourne hard courts to win for the loss of just six games. Andy Roddick lost just five and, in a welcome return of his blistering power game, so did Fernando Verdasco. The Spaniard has suffered a dreadful falling off of confidence in the last few months, compounded by a first-round loss in Brisbane last week. But this was more like the Verdasco who came so close to taking out Nadal on Rod Laver court in 2009. He now meets the talented Janko Tipsarevic, also an easy winner, in what has the makings of one of the matches of round two. If Verdasco wins, the draw ahead beckons enticingly now that it no longer contains Nikolay Davydenko, who was a surprising loser in straight sets. The best, though, did not come last but—in the form of the current champion—was the first man on Rod Laver. The superlatives that have battered the airwaves since Roger Federer shook hands with his hapless opponent have yet to die down. Even the often-grudging Mats Wilander resorted to comparisons that he could never substantiate. "That was the best set of tennis I have ever seen,” he said. Federer played Lukas Lacko, a big man with a big game and a big loose-limbed body. Only a fortnight ago, he bageled a below-par Nadal in a very close contest in Doha and certainly showed no sign of nerves or shortage of confidence for his big moment on the centre stage. But Federer, this year sporting a neutral palette of white and grey, wore gold around his forehead that carried more than a suggestion of an already-crowned king. Federer's retooled shots, delivered with burgeoning confidence, were straight away on show: the wide, sliced serve; the kicker; the down-the-line backhand. Within 22 minutes, he was 6-1 to the good despite some solid attacking tennis from Lacko. Already, this was clearly something special. Wilander again: "There is something different about Federer…simply sublime tennis, outrageous." Federer immediately broke twice more but Lacko, enjoying the ride, correctly challenged a couple of long drives from Federer to win his only game of the second set. The pitch-perfect Swiss, now pushing things along even faster, made a few careless errors in the third set and missed a couple of break point chances. To Lacko's credit, too, he did not let his standard drop from beginning to end. But that end came in an hour and 20 minutes, 6-3. The commentary team summed it up, for once, pretty succinctly: "He's making one heck of a point here, and 15,000 are watching and drooling." The match recorded Federer's 27th win in his 29 matches since Flushing Meadows. It also reaffirmed the desire for the game and for winning that shone out of his matches at the World Tour Finals. He has turned the clock back to some of his finest tennis. Whether he can turn the body clock back to its mid-20s will be the test. If he keeps winning matches with such ease—and his next one against another straight sets winner, Gilles Simon will be a bigger test—then the answer is probably yes. Rangers and Bursaspor close to finalising Kenny Miller deal Posted: 18 Jan 2011 03:20 PM PST Rangers striker Kenny Miller is set to join Turkish champions Bursaspor after rejecting a move to the English Premier League with Birmingham City. Rangers and Bursaspor are already understood to be in discussions over a transfer fee for their top scorer this season. Miller, who was expected to play in Tuesday night’s clash with Inverness Caledonian Thistle, was not named in the squad and left the ground ahead of the game. Rangers assistant boss Ally McCoist said: "I don't think they're a million miles from a deal and that's why Kenny's not in the squad for the Inverness game tonight." Rangers had already agreed a fee with Birmingham, understood to be worth between £650,000 and £1m, but reports suggest a move to Bursaspor will prove more lucrative for Rangers. Miller, 31, is expected to fly to Bursa—where he scored for Rangers in the Champions League in December—on Wednesday after a statement on Birmingham's website revealed his representatives had informed them the player preferred a move to Turkey. "Kenny Miller will not be joining Blues after the player’s representatives informed the club that he has accepted an irresistible offer from Turkish champions Bursaspor,” a Birmingham City statement read. "The club pulled out all the stops in an attempt to bring the Scotland international striker, who attracted offers from several top European clubs, to St. Andrew’s. "However the offer from Bursaspor proved to be too good for Miller to turn down and the 31-year-old has now decided to undertake the next chapter of his career in the Turkish Super Lig." Miller has scored 22 goals for Rangers this season – and has netted 49 times in 81 games during his second spell at Ibrox after he was part of the infamous Derby County team that set record lows in the 2006-07 Premier League season. With his contract due to expire in the summer, the club have long been resigned to losing their prize asset in January to bring in some much-needed revenue. Miller could make his debut for Bursaspor this weekend against Konyaspor when the Super Lig gets back under way following its winter break. Video: Watch Roberto Carlos score straight from a corner Posted: 18 Jan 2011 02:55 PM PST Watch Corinthians left-back Roberto Carlos score directly from a corner to help his side to a 2-0 victory in the opening game of the 2011 Sao Paulo state championship. The former Real Madrid full-back is infamous for his ability from set pieces – and his best arguably came back in 1997 when he smashed home this long-range effort against France. I haven’t joined Aston Villa for the money, insists Darren Bent Posted: 18 Jan 2011 02:37 PM PST Aston Villa new boy Darren Bent has rejected claims he quit Sunderland to secure a higher wage packet after signing a four-and-a-half year deal at Villa Park on Tuesday. And Bent, who joins Gérard Houllier’s side for a club record £18m fee, fully expects the midlands club to rise up the Premier League table following their difficult start to the season. “I could could have gone to West Ham for more money when I left Charlton but chose Tottenham for footballing reasons. It is the same here with Villa,” Bent, 26, said. “People have asked why I swapped a top six club for one currently in the bottom four. But I believe Villa are in a false position, they have been sixth for the past three seasons, and it is a new challenge for me.” The former Tottenham and Charlton forward added: “Villa are a massive club and, as soon as I knew they were interested, I wanted to be part of it and help get them back to where they belong.” Bent admits that he regrets the way in which his 18-month spell with Sunderland ended. He added: “I am sure Steve Bruce and the fans will be disappointed and I am sorry it ended the way it did. “But I showed my passion for the club in the two years I was there and now I am looking forward to the future with Villa.” Bent netted 36 times in 63 appearances for Steve Bruce’s Black Cats and Villa boss Houllier believes the signing can give his side a much-needed boost for the rest of the season. “He will be a great asset for years ahead,” said Houllier. “His arrival will send out a clear message about the ambitions of the football club. We have bought him to spearhead our attack and to help build something strong and lasting at our club. “Darren will be a key element for us. He is 26 and entering the prime of his life. He fits the bill in terms of what we want to achieve long term.” The Villa manager also insisted that Ashley Young and Stewart Downing would not be leaving the club in January. He said: “Ashley Young and Stewart Downing are not for sale, simple as that. They won’t be leaving. We have had no bids for them.” Australian Open 2011: Andy Murray pleased with progress Posted: 18 Jan 2011 07:32 AM PST British No1 Andy Murray began his search for a grand slam title with an impressive victory over unseeded Slovakian Karol Beck. The Scot was leading 6-3 6-1 4-2 when his opponent retired with a shoulder injury. The fifth seed was calm and composed throughout, playing patient tennis. At 3-1 up in the second set Murray sent a sensational forehand pass around the net post whilst on the run to secure him the double break. >From then on the match was a precession as Beck had no answer to Murray's athleticism, power and accuracy. Murray, who will now face Ukrainian Illya Marchenko in round two, was clearly pleased with his solid performance. Murray said: “I started the match quite well, I got a bit tentative at the end of the first set but played a lot better from late in the second. “Like I said before the tournament, everyone always has slight doubts before the start, you are always a bit nervous,” he continued. “But getting off to a good start, getting a break early in the match does help a lot, which I managed to do – it is nice to be through to the second round with no drama.” But despite his impressive start Down Under the world No5 insists he will not get carried away. He added: “I’ve trained and prepared well, which gives you confidence. I’m not going to get ahead of myself, I’ll just focus on one match at a time as the depth of men’s draw is so strong.” West Ham insist Avram Grant is the right man for the job Posted: 18 Jan 2011 06:02 AM PST West Ham have finally ended speculation surrounding Avram Grant’s future by publicly backing their manager. Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal at Upton Park was rumoured to be Grant’s final game in charge of the Hammers, with Martin O’Neill said to have been lined up as the Israeli’s replacement. But West Ham officials on Tuesday insisted that Grant is the man to guide the Hammers out of trouble despite the London club being firmly rooted to the foot of the Premier League table. “The club are committed to retaining Avram Grant as manager and have identified potential transfer targets to give us the best possible chance of retaining Premier League status,” read a West Ham statement. West Ham captain Scott Parker last week backed Grant to lead the club to top flight survival. When asked Grant had the players’ full support, Parker responded: “Yes, definitely. “The lads are fighting as much as the gaffer is fighting. We’re all in the same corner. We’re all trying to do our best for ourselves, for the manager, for the club. The manager’s got tons and tons of experience and he’s doing a good job.” You are subscribed to email updates from The Sport Review To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Email delivery powered by Google Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 -- Posted By Mas Item Arekjowo to The Sport Review at 1/18/2011 11:05:00 PM -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Gugukluhayat" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/gugukluhayat?hl=en.
